Secrets
by itachi2011
Summary: He's new to town and everyone is out to get him. The school gang, the populars...everyone. But when a school project forces them together, they learn that people have secrets for a reason.


**Secrets**

**Chapter One:**

_New In Town_

--

Sakura sighed as the bell rang for the first hour to begin. Winter break was finally over and that meant everyone would be coming back to school. She looked up and smiled when she noticed one of her best friends took a seat beside her.

Ino Yamanaka. One of the most popular, and pretty, girls in the school. Her obsession: Sasuke Uchiha, the hottest guy in the school.

Ino was the first person to lay down the rules to her. When Sakura first came to Konoha High, Ino was the first person to come near and accept her. Ino was the one who warned her of the school's most hated, and feared, group. They call themselves the Akatsuki. They were the group that was known for picking on kids that were "different." If they had weird hair, too skinny, too fat, anything that wasn't perfect, they would pester that person. "So, did you see any of the new kids today?"

Sakura looked at her blonde-haired friend. "New kids? I didn't even know there were any," Sakura told. She looked at her friend with a confused look. "Why would someone move in the middle of the year?"

Ino shrugged. "Who knows? I would personally tie my parents to a chair just so we wouldn't have to move in the middle of the year. Middle of the school year is always the hardest to fit in. I mean, all the school's groups are made and you can't really start fresh."

Sakura nodded. She had seen people move to this school in the middle of year and they almost always turned out to be one of the outcasts.

Students began piling into the room a few minutes before the tardy bell rang. More of her friends filled in the seats that were around her. Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and Tenten. The other four to her circle of friends. They've known each other ever since Sakura moved to this school, which was four years ago. Back in the eighth grade. And here they are four years later, sophomores in Konoha High.

The tardy bell rang as the teacher walked in. _Isn't the teacher supposed to be in the classroom before the late bell?_ Sakura thought. "That's Mr. Hatake for you," Ino mumbled, almost as if she read Sakura's mind.

"Alright class, if you haven't noticed, we have a new student in the class."

Everyone started to turn around and look towards the back of the room, searching for the unfamiliar face. Sakura glanced to the other side of the room where, in fact, there was another person sitting in the usually empty desk. "His name is Gaara and I hope everyone here will make him feel right at home."

"I almost feel sorry for him," Ino mumbled.

"Why is that?" Sakura questioned.

"Look who's at the front of the room and you'll know why."

Sakura looked towards the front of the class and sighed at who she saw. Three senior kids from the group, the Akatsuki. And from the looks of it, they found their new target for the rest of the year. They kept switching glances from each other and then back to the new kid. Sakura shook her head as she looked back at the red-head. "Oh, he's really asking for it now," Ino mentioned.

And indeed he was. Now he was returning the gang's stare with a cold glare of his own. "If he doesn't stop he'll get into serious trouble with those people."

"Since when do you care about what happens to other people?" Sakura asked.

"Since I realized that guy is freakin' _hot_," Ino smiled.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So, who's going to be the one to break the news to him?"

"What news?" Naruto asked, confused.

"The fact that he's on the Akatsuki's most wanted list," Ino told.

"I vote Sakura!"

Sakura quickly glared at Naruto. She looked towards Hinata and Tenten for some help, but both of them just shrugged. "This could be your chance, Sakura. Maybe you can get him to come hang with us," Ino suggested, looking at her nails.

"What are you trying to say, Ino?"

"I'm saying you need a _man_. And since this guy is new, he won't be able to judge you right away. I mean, he _does_ have the looks and all we need is a _hot_ personality and he would be perfect."

Sakura slammed her head onto her desk as she started to mumble. "Wait, we're talking about the new kid?"

Everyone looked at Naruto with confused faces. "You didn't _know_ that?!" Ino almost shouted, hitting her forehead with that palm of her hand.

"Well, if I would've known that then I could've told you that I've talked with him already."

"Really? Do share," Ino said, giving her full attention to Naruto.

"Well, he's not much of a talker . . ."

"He didn't say anything to you, did he?" Ino asked.

"Well kinda . . . not really—no."

Ino sighed. "Okay, Sakura, it's up to you."

_I hate my life_, she thought as she slowly stood up and walked in his direction. She looked around, noticing that various people were staring at her. _Great, the staring isn't making matters any better_. _Oh, god, why is this so difficult? I don't even know that guy and I'm acting like he's going to kill me_.

Sakura stopped next to the red-head who looked at her. She suddenly froze where she stood. _Okay, this was definitely not the best idea I've ever listened to._ His eyes seemed like they were digging through her soul. He wouldn't move a muscle and he just continued to _stare_. "Um, hey, I'm Sakura Haruno," she introduced.

The teen didn't budge. _Okay this is kinda creepy_. Sakura stood there with her hand half way extended, expecting him to shake it. The red-head moved his stare down to her hand. "Gaara," he mumbled.

Sakura let go of the breath she was holding and relaxed. "Well, _Gaara_, are you enjoying Konoha so far?"

"Why are you over here?"

"Oh, ugh, I just wanted to introduce myself and—"

"You can go back and tell your blonde friend that I'm not interested in her."

Sakura was shocked with his response. "Um, okay. It was nice meeting you."

Sakura hurried back to her seat and sat down. "Well, how is he?"

Sakura laughed. "Let's just say he isn't interested right now."

Ino sighed. "Well good. Emo isn't my type either."

Sakura rolled her eyes once again. _Two seconds ago she was drooling over him and now he's too _emo. "I don't think he's _emo_. More like a rocker. You know, a guy who loves his music," Tenten told.

Everyone agreed except Ino. "Whatever. Think what you want."

Sakura sighed as she turned her attention back to the new student. She almost visibly jumped in her seat when she saw that he was staring right back at her. "Okay class, today I will be assigning groups for the upcoming project."

_Not a history project…_ Sakura mentally cursed. She _hated_ history work. "You and your partner are to pick any historical person and an event they were involved with. Then you are to make a journal of that person as they go throughout the event that you pick. And I would also like a poster about the event," Kakashi explained.

The class groaned when they found out what they had to do. "Now, now, none of that. You have until the last week of school to get this in."

"Well, at least we get a few months to work on this," Ino mentioned.

"How can you that?! It'll be my luck to get paired up with someone I _absolutely_ cannot stand. It happens every time!" Sakura told.

"Okay and here are your groups…"

"Don't worry. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Let's see, I could get paired with those Akatsuki freaks, or Sasuke, or heaven forbid I get paired with—"

"Sakura and Gaara."

"—him." Sakura put her head down on her desk. "Yep, I'm screwed."

"Ino and Sasuke."

"No way! This project is going to be awesome!" Ino squealed but quickly stopped when she saw Sakura's glaring eyes. "Oh, sorry."

"Come on Sakura, it can't be _that_ bad," Naruto mentioned.

"Oh, yea. Well, who's your partner?"

"Kiba. But look, if you really want, we could come over and make sure he does his share."

Sakura sighed once again. "It's not the work I'm worried about, it's the fact that I'll have to talk to him again and actually spend time with him," Sakura told.

The bell rang and kids hurried out of the room. "You worry too much. Listen, if it's really that bad, I'm sure Hatake will switch you with someone else," Ino reminded. "But I would at least give it a try."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks, Ino," she smiled.

"Now come on, we better hurry or Orochimaru will give us a detention for being late."

--

_I hate this class_, Sakura thought to herself. Not because she didn't _like_ biology, it was the fact that the teacher was the worst one in the school and he had assigned seats. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when she walked through the door and saw the new student sitting right next to her. _Life hates me_.

All through class she could literally _feel_ his stare. Sakura would glance to her side to confirm that he was actually staring at her and that she wasn't going insane. His jade eyes pierced right through her, making her stare at her desk for the rest of class.

--

_Ring bell, ring!_ Sakura couldn't look away from the ticking clock on the wall above the door. Her next class, if you want to call it that, was lunch. Any kids' favorite time of day, well, except sleeping of course.

She almost pulled her hair out from the echoing _tick_. Finally the bell rang and Sakura hurried out of the room. "Hey, Sakura, I'll grab us a table, okay?"

Sakura looked back at Ino. "Okay, I'm going to run to my locker quick!"

Ino nodded and Sakura hurried out of the room and down the hallway. When she got to the last locker of the hallway, she quickly entered her combination, but her books away, and then locked it. As she was about to walk away, she heard some people shouting around the corner. "So, you're the new kid everyone has been talking about? Don't look like much to me, but that's what makes it more fun."

_The Akatsuki!_ Sakura thought. She quietly peeked around the corner only to see an orange-haired student pinning Gaara to the wall. _This won't end well…_

**:D Well what do you guys think of this one? This thought just came to my mind the other day and wanted to see what ya'll think ******

**Review?**


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